The reed.co.uk 2013 Happiness at Work Survey

The reed.co.uk 2013 Happiness at Work Survey by Michael Cheary How happy are you?Or, more specifically, how happy are you at work? Its a question that on the surface could be seen to have a simple answer. But delve deeper, and there are a multitude of factors which can impact your morale, some of which you may not have even previously considered.To save you countless hours spent soul-searching, we conducted a study of over 4,000 jobseekers to find out what impacts our happiness in the workplace. These are just some of the things we found:Its all about progression84% of those surveyed stated that the opportunity for career advancement is either essential or very important when it comes to working life.Further reinforcing this idea is the importance placed on professional development and job-specific training, all of which contribute to making career growth the number one factor employees identify as being vital to their happiness at work.So, rather than an immediate monetary gain, the ability to demonstrate or encourage staff through training and provide them with the opportunity to take their career to the next level, should never be overlooked.Good communicationFollowing on from career progression, 83% of people identified a high level of communication between employees and senior management as having a huge impact on their happiness levels.Whilst good communication is seldom overlooked by any business, the amount of importance placed on it, and the fact that many rank it above starting salary (which 72% identify as vital or very important), may come as something of a surprise.Social aspectSometimes your happiness within a job can be most greatly affected by your colleagues, and 77% say the people they work with will affect their morale significantly affects their happiness.Even if the jobs we do are more individual in nature or if day-to-day interaction between co-workers is fairly infrequent, having the right mix of personalities in the office and a maintaining a good company culture will usual ly pay dividends. But having to work with someone we dont get on with makes many dread their working day.And, with 72% of us socialising with our colleagues outside of work, its little wonder that many of those surveyed give the social factor precedence.Keep an eye on the Career Advice section in the next few weeks for more information about our employee happiness surveyFind a job What Where Search JobsSign up for more Career AdviceSign up for moreCareer Advice Please enter a valid email addressmessage hereBy clicking Submit you agree to the terms and conditions applicable to our service and acknowledge that your personal data will be used in accordance with our privacy policy and you will receive emails and communications about jobs and career related topics. Features